title: Is rapid hepatitis C virus testing from corpses a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We tested a commercially available rapid hepatitis C virus (HCV) test assay for its potential use for analyses of corpses as a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field.
  
  
  METHODS
  50 blood samples were drawn from 16 recently deceased confirmed HCV-positive patients whose corpses were stored at 4°C in the mortuary and were analysed at admission and up to 48 h post mortem by rapid serological testing using the ImmunoFlow HCV test (Core Diagnostics, Birmingham, UK) in comparison with automated serological assays and PCR. Samples from 50 HCV-negative corpses were also analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The blood of only four of the 16 HCV-positive corpses reacted clearly with the ImmunoFlow HCV test, while in five cases the result was only weakly reactive and three cases showed very weak reactivity. Four of the infected corpses showed initially negative results, three of which became very weakly reactive 48 h post mortem. 49 out of 50 samples (98%) from HCV-negative corpses tested negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rapid test system we investigated showed insufficient sensitivity regarding the identification of HCV positivity. Automated serological testing or PCR should be preferred if it is realistically available in the deployed military setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Medicine at the Bernhard, Nocht Institute, German Armed Forces Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hagen
authors.affiliation: Institue for Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wulff
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Loderstaedt
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Department 1, Central Institute of the German Armed Forces Medical Services, Koblenz, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fengler
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Medicine at the Bernhard, Nocht Institute, German Armed Forces Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Frickmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polywka
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D002102:Cadaver; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D008403:Mass Screening; D008887:Military Medicine; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies
keywords: INFECTIOUS DISEASES